SES Global Reports Strong Performance In First Quarter

[BGonaSTICK]

SES GLOBAL, the pre-eminent satellite operator worldwide (Euronext Paris and
Luxembourg Stock Exchanges: SESG), reports results for the first quarter of 2006.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Revenues rose 13.7% to EUR 329m (Q1 2005: EUR 290m) / Recurring revenues1 up 8.7% on corresponding prior year period.
• EBITDA increased by 10.0% to EUR 227m (Q1 2005: EUR 207m).
• Operating profit grew 8.0% to EUR 126m (Q1 2005: EUR 117m).
• Net profit increased by 41.0% to EUR 118m (Q1 2005: EUR 84m).
• Acquisition of New Skies Satellites completed 30 March 2006.
• Net debt rose to EUR 2,779m from EUR 2,107m at 31 December 2005, reflecting acquisition of New Skies Satellites and repurchases under the existing share buyback and cancellation programme, bringing the proforma Net Debt/EBITDA ratio to 2.79x.
• GE Capital share placement in March 2006 has increased SES GLOBAL’s free float to 54%.
• Utilisation rates stood at 81% in EMEA and 68% in the Americas segment at 31 March.
• Significant improvement in services business performance.

Romain Bausch, President & CEO of SES GLOBAL, commented:
”SES has continued its strong performance in the first quarter of the year with our investments in new, state-of-the-art satellite infrastructure resulting in growth in revenues, EBITDA and net income. The first quarter results are a reflection of solid development across the board, in Europe, in the US and also in Africa. The high utilisation rates in key markets further validate our strategy and additional growth opportunities arise from this strong momentum. In this regard, our satellite launch schedule will deliver additional capacity to meet the demands of our customers in all of our markets, and continue to drive our industry-leading growth profile. In addition, we are pleased to have closed the New Skies transaction earlier than expected and are fully engaged in the integration process. The acquisition will be accretive to earnings in the current year. Finally, our participation in the GE placement in March contributed to the progress towards our targeted balance sheet leverage.”